StarCraft: Phantoms
by Apokruphos
Summary: Just something I've been fooling around with. A group of soldiers are taken on a series of covert missions.


Nearly five decades after the allied force of Terran and Protoss warriors destroyed the Zerg, a new problem arose. During these five decades, the Terran of Protoss races saw no reason to wage war, for they were content with the space they controlled and so their relationship grew more distant with every passing year.  
  
A communication probe was detected entering the Space of the United Earth Directorate and when it was retrieved and brought to the Sky Admiral William Duke, the son of Edmond Duke, the news it contained was released. A ship, the U.D.S Bezanson, was on a routine reconnaissance mission to expand the UED borders found a reach of Space controlled by an evolved form of Zerg. Their visual logs were recorded and showed that Zerg evolution had been radically advanced; forms of Zerg never seen had been discovered. A blockade was placed on the front of the UED borders to stop anything from crossing into what came to be known as the Abyss. But the Zerg eventually began to expand their space and the blockade failed. Zerg space grew into Terran space and the UED border receded. Action had to be taken.  
  
The once prosperous Terrans panicked and removed all funding from all social and economic programs and placed everything they had into the military budget. The UED militia was rebuilt and reformed with greater technological advancements and military capabilities. The freedoms the soldiers once had were taken away and great discipline followed, the UED was a force to be envied. Eventually, the Zerg were driven back into their own space.  
  
The appearance of the Terran military changed from disorganized freedom of appearance to a sleek look. All Terran vessels and suits were changed and colored into a sleek flat black with small white lettering. Marines' black suits now had hydraulic movement and "Heads-up" display; Wraiths were also flat black and technology was upgraded as well as comfort; instead of Photon Beams, Quantum Beams of blue coloration were used, the same applied to BattleCruisers.  
  
The war continues as the UED Forces press into Zerg space to try to annihilate its residents..  
  
Present Day.  
  
Admiral Julien Williams stood in the Ready Room of his BattleCruiser, the Unicorn, lighting a cigar, and standing behind his large oak desk in his formal black military uniform. His medals and combat awards shone proudly on his chest. He stood before the large array of windows, staring out into space. Behind him, in attention stance, also dressed in formal black military uniforms, stood Major Sam Ash, with his two Captains, Denis DeLong and Eric Jaillet.  
  
"I have sent for you, Major, because you command one of the most elite squadrons in this quadrant, The Balrogs. And I have a very important mission for you and your men." said the Admiral finally, "As you know, our forces have cleared Elsonis II. I am told that the planet is nearly completely rid of Zerg activity and is nearing readiness for colonization. Your mission will be to scout a section of the planet and bring me a report in three days. I will give you some of my own men to help complete the job. Clean up what the bombs missed." "Yes sir. When do we commence, sir?" Answered Major Ash "Your ships will be leaving at 0800 hours tomorrow. Be on it." Answered Williams, "Dismissed."  
  
The Major and his men turned and left through the automatic doors. The interior of the ship was completely metallic and was of a dark tinge; the lighting was dim and in some areas only red lights shone. The top and bottom corners of the hallway were lined with small white lights.  
  
Sam Ash and his two Captains walked through the corridors of the large vessel until they reached the barracks where the soldiers were housed. They entered into one of the many doors into a long room; the walls were lined with bunks and the middle of the room was occupied by two long metal tables surrounded by chairs who were themselves occupied by men and women of various shapes and sizes, these all stood at attention when the Major and the two Captains entered.  
  
"At ease." said the Major, walking in and sitting on a bunk. "Well, Sir," asked one of the men, "What is our assignment?" "Patience, Caissie. We're going to mop up Elsonis II." answered the Major, "We'll be assigned some terrain and we'll have to do some recon of the area." "Zerg activity?" asked another man. "Reports say it is supposed to be light and random." responded Ash. "Sir, I don't like it that we're being joined by other men." said Eric. "I agree, sir, it's always been this squad and just this squad." agreed Denis. "I know, but we'll need the extra man power to cover the terrain in the allotted time." answered the Major, "Now, we leave in six hours, I suggest you all get some rest."  
  
All the company stood and began to prepare for sleep. The Major was an average height man with a large build; he had a shaved head and small black eyes. Captain Eric Jaillet was a shorter man with a muscled average build; his eyes were blue and his hair was shaggy and black as was his goatee; he was not a marine, he was a Phantom: a special operations fighter, the Phantoms were upgraded Ghosts, their suits were upgraded Ghost suits with light-weight, more expensive but more effective one and a half inch thick armor plating placed all over the body except for the joints and lined with a chain-mail body covering, capable of cloak and other updated features; he specialized in covert operations and close-combat, he was considered a terror on the battlefield but he also had expertise in mechanics and vehicles; his driving skills were matched by very few in the UED. Captain Denis DeLong was of a slightly above-average height and had a muscled build; he had brown hair and goatee and his eyes were green; he was also a Phantom; he was the UED's most awarded sniper and was considered the best sniper in the Directorate; naturally, he was a specialist in covert ops, he was also a qualified field medic. Sergeant Caissie, the strong man of the team, was a taller man with an immense build; he had dull blue eyes and his hair was cut into a sort of short Mohawk; this man was the backbone of the team when it came to combat. Sergeant Arylissa Jones was shorter and had a small build, but her muscles were visible; her eyes were of a deep gray and her hair was dark brown and tied back; she was an explosive specialist and also a combat strategy specialist. Corporal Nicholai Krouschev was of an average height and a small build, his hair was short and brown; he was the electronic specialist in the team; he was the shortest of the team, his eyes were brown. Private Barry Jackson was a colored man who was tall and muscled; he had a very short beard and short black hair, his eyes were a dark brown; he was the newest addition to the team, he was recruited into the Balrogs when the Major heard of his extraordinary abilities in the field of Guerilla Warfare. Lieutenant Joan Green was of an average height, tall for a woman, and of a small build; she wore her hair in many blonde braids and had eyes of a bright green; she was the team's medical expert, she was also very effective in combat. Finally there was 2nd Lieutenant Bygmay Abnett, a man of average height with a large muscled build; he had a shaved head and two eyes of different color: one blue, one black; this man was the most savage fighter on the battlefield.  
  
The squad woke at the sound of the bell the Major rang, it was 0700 hours: one hour before their departure.  
  
"Rise and shine, team." announced Sam, "Let's get some chow into you and then we'll get suited up."  
  
The men and women of the Balrogs woke up and quickly got into their black military combat uniforms: black t-shirts and black khaki-type pants tucked into black combat boots. They then proceeded to the cafeteria on that deck and were served bowls of white paste, commonly known as 'cram', it contained all the essential vitamins and minerals needed for one day and tasted awful. Afterwards, they made their way to the armory where the personal combat suits were kept, several armories were kept on each deck of the ship for each soldier had a customized model to fit his or her body. Once the entire team was equipped with the proper suits, weapons and supplies, they proceeded to the docking bay where all of the Dropships were kept. Nearly a dozen men were already standing at attention and were being spoken to by Admiral Williams.  
  
"Ah, Major, I'm glad you could join us." said Williams.  
  
The Balrogs took their positions and stood at attention, at their head stood Major Ash. Three of the Dropships had open hatches. Two Warthog all-terrain vehicles were being loaded into one of the ships as well as supplies. The Warthog was one of the new additions to the UED arsenal: They were four-wheeled vehicles, long, flat and wide, there were seats for five in the front compartment and the rear cargo compartment had a retractable high-powered laser turret and unfolding seats for four more passengers when no or little cargo was being transported. The Warthog was capable of a maximum speed of 140 miles per hour over flat terrain and was equipped with hydraulic suspension to maximize comfort and control; the tires were deep- tread three-foot wide aluminum-filled tires and the body of the machine was comprised of a titanium/carbon-fiber alloy.  
  
"Now, we have ten minutes to send you on your way, let's make this short." said Williams, "Major Ash, commander of the Balrogs, meet Lieutenant White, commander of the BlindEyes. You two will be working together on this mission. Three ships will be sent to the surface, two containing the men and one containing vehicles and supplies. You will have three days with a possible expansion upon request, in other words, if you need more time, simply ask. I will expect a report from both of you at the end of the mission. Any questions?" "Yes sir," asked the Major, "Will we be escorted to the surface?" "No, there shouldn't be any need for escort, the bombings occurred only three weeks ago, even the most advanced Zerg strand hasn't been able to regenerate in that much time." replied the Admiral.  
  
The men entered the ships. The Balrogs entered one along with Lieutenant White and one of his men; the remainder of the BlindEyes entered the second vessel. The lights in the room dimmed and were replaced by a twirling yellow light. A woman's voice was heard through the intercom speakers:  
  
"Please vacate the launch bay. Please vacate the launch bay. Please..."  
  
When all of the people left the room, the bay was depressurized and the bay doors opened into space. Large titanium beams to which the vessels were clamped guided out the Dropships. Once the ships were safely through the doors, the clamps opened and the ships, with a shock, were let go. The engines were engaged immediately and a large burst of blue flame exited through the rear thrusters. The vessels descended towards the surface of Elsonis II, the atmosphere was thick and the friction caused the metal of the Dropships to heat to the point of flames. Other ships could be seen entering the atmosphere at different points around the planet. Once through the atmosphere and into the stratosphere, the ships continued descending until they were flying at high speeds just above the treetops. The speaker in the Dropship was turned on:  
  
"Major, we are approaching the landing vector," said the pilot, "ETA is five minutes."  
  
Suddenly, an explosion was heard outside and afterwards, the ship itself was struck by something. The speaker came on again:  
  
"The BlindEye ship has been destroyed, the supply ship is crash-landing and we've taken heavy damage to the right thruster, I won't be able to keep us in the air for long."  
  
The trees could be heard whipping the belly of the vessel and eventually, a tremendous shock as the ship hit the ground. The vessel slid for some time along the ground and finally, with a large crash stopped dead.  
  
"What the fuck was that?!" Major Ash yelled.  
  
The Balrogs and the two BlindEyes un-clamped their restraints and tried to get the hatch to open, but to no avail.  
  
"Corporal Krouschev, you're our man for this, work on getting that door open," said the Major, "I'm going to the cockpit, and the rest of you just stay put."  
  
When the emergency button was pushed, the cockpit door slid open but stopped halfway; the Major forced open with his gun. The co-pilot was dead, it seemed the ship head hit a rock face of some sort, and the pilot was injured, but conscious. Sam helped the pilot out of his seat and pulled him onto the floor of the personnel compartment, where everyone was sitting.  
  
"Lieutenant Green, see to this man's injuries." ordered the Major, "Corporal, how's that door coming." "Almost got it, sir." answered Nicholai, there was a spark and the door opened into a field.  
  
The slide marks of the vessel were easily distinguished, off in the distance a forest of oddly shaped trees could be seen; also, the sound of running water was near and the ground was covered in what looked like short green grass; rocks were seen every now and then as well. The men filed outside to take a look.  
  
"A Zerg creature.." mumbled the pilot, his face bloody, "brought.. ship down.. supply ship.. east, twenty miles.." "Sir, he's got internal bleeding everywhere," said Joan Green, standing up and speaking quietly into the Major's ear, "I can't save him, he's got five minutes, ten at most. There's nothing more I can do here." "Thank you Lieutenant." said Major Ash, "Go outside and join the others." "Krouschev!" yelled the Major as Joan left, "Get in here!"  
  
Krouschev came stumbling in.  
  
"What is it, sir?" he asked. "I need you to get the ship's radar and GPS tracking back online." said the Major. "I'm on it, sir." answered the Corporal, heading into the mangled cockpit.  
  
The Major went outside to join the others. To the east, the forest could be seen; to the west there were tall rock cliff faces, several orifices could be seen. The ship slammed into a jagged rock just under a small waterfall from a narrow stream, the water was beating down onto the roof of the vessel. The red sun could be seen going down in the south, leaving the sky pink and orange. Lieutenant White, the commander of the BlindEyes, was sitting alone on a small rock, staring off into the distance. The Balrogs were both keeping an eye on the surroundings and relaxing: some were sitting and talking, others were eating from the rations they carried.  
  
"We'll have to leave if we don't want the Zerg who dropped us to find us when they come looking, sir." said Eric, who was sitting with his back against the ship, fingering the elegant blade of one of his "Scout" combat knives. The knives were made from excelion-infused carbonitrium, phase- transition welded under a pressure of thirty thousand kilopascals; making them nearly indestructible and impervious to dulling effects. The blades were serrated along the back and the handles had digital compasses. His helmet was sitting beside him. Another feature of the new marine combat suits was that the helmets were capable of completely retracting into the back part of the suit to allow 360 degree observing capabilities; the Phantom suits, due to their compact and covert nature did not allow for this, but allowed for increased maneuverability and speed and also included all of the computer features the Marines possessed but most were even more advanced. "I'm aware of that, Captain." replied Sam.  
  
Sam Ash walked to where Lieutenant White was sitting.  
  
"I served with those men for a year, Major." said the Lieutenant as Ash approached, "They were the best troops one could hope for." "I am sorry for your loss, Lieutenant." said the Major, "But I need you with me so we can get off this rock. I..." "Major!" Krouschev interrupted, "I've got the radar and tracking systems back online as ordered."  
  
The Major headed back to the crashed ship and went into the cockpit where Krouschev was sitting. "Where is the supply ship?" asked Ash. "About fifteen to twenty miles due Northeast, Major." replied the Corporal. "Good, get your shit together, we're heading out." "Aye, sir."  
  
Major Ash headed outside and got the men up and ready to leave. The sun was nearly set by this time and the team was forced to activate the lights, mounted on their upper chests on either side of their suits. Led by Major Sam Ash and Lieutenant White, the Balrogs and the single BlindEye set out towards the crashed supply vessel.  
  
"What's with those blades you've got there?" asked Lieutenant Abnett, coming up beside Eric. "They are Scout Survival knives, from the Black Market on the Dominion world of Argelis," answered Eric. "They're very ornate." commented Abnett. "Yeah," answered Eric, "That's why I got them."  
  
The knives were kept in simple sheaths of black, tightly tied to Eric's calves; the knives were thirteen inches long. The entire team was moving with their helmets completely retracted, for the air on Elsonis II contained more oxygen than the air on Earth, and was more effective to fuel the bodies of the troops.  
  
* * *  
  
The team had entered the forest and only the stars lighted the surface, for a moon did not orbit it. For safety reasons, the Major had ordered the squad to activate their helmets.  
  
"Only about one mile left, sir." said Krouschev who was leading the team with a digital GPS compass.  
  
A hideous stench was smelled and, over time, became worse. Growls and screams began to be audible a short distance away from the party. Major Ash turned back and looked at his two Captains and pointed, Denis and Eric immediately understood and bolted towards the sounds while the team halted and waited.  
  
As they got closer, Denis and Eric slowed and took care not to make noise. They squatted behind a small bush at the border of a clearing in the forest; several large animals lay dead and Zerg creatures feasted ravenously upon their carcasses. As they left to alert the group, Eric stepped on a branch, which made a sharp crack. Immediately, the Zerg in the clearing pursued them and they both ran back towards the team. Denis activated the radio built into his suit:  
  
"Major, we've got Zerg closing in on our six," he said into the microphone, "Request backup." "Hang on, we're coming." replied the Major.  
  
The radios in the suits used one frequency; therefore, all the troopers in range could hear the transmissions. Eric and Denis both stopped running and turned around to open fire. Eric withdrew one of his knives and held it so the blade ran along his right forearm and he held his gun in his left hand.  
  
The Zerg came running to their deaths, Denis was able to hit all of the creatures before they reached him, he was trained to be accurate and his rifle was enhanced from the original models to provide enhanced accuracy. Eric's weapon was also enhanced and was able to fire more rounds in a shorter amount of time, the magazines also held more ammunition, also mounted on the weapon was a bayonet and laser targeting, despite this, Eric missed several, but once they were close enough, they were decimated by the knife in his hand. Just as the Zerg became too much for the two elite fighters, Caissie and Bygmay Abnett burst through the foliage on the North flank of the rushing Zerg. Caissie used his massive size and strength in conjunction with his gun as Bygmay used two weapons, one enhanced assault rifle and a smaller compact rapid-fire weapon.  
  
Caissie's weapon was knocked from his grasp, but he was not beat, he continued to fight using his fists. Two Zerg creatures, the likes of which he had never seen, they looked like evolved Zerglings, were attacking Eric and his weapon's ammunition magazine was drained of its final round just as the two creatures lunged for the kill. Eric quickly ducked his first attacker and withdrew his other knife before rising to meet the second, killing it in mid-air and turning to meet the renewed assault of the first. Denis was down on one knee and firing single shots into the Zerg creatures, which were running about and killing many with deadly accuracy. Bygmay was surrounded in bodies of dead Zerg.  
  
The rest of the group, Sergeant Arylissa leading the assault, attacked the south flank of the frantic Zerg. Eric and Denis worked their way to each other through the fray. Eric had retrieved and reloaded his weapon and was fighting with one knife and many rounds of ammunition. Eric and Denis were soon separated once again but had agreed over the radios to advance to renew the pincer attack being performed. Denis was punching and firing and also hitting with the butt of his gun when one of the things got close as he made his way toward the rest of the group. Eric was using knife and gun as he pressed into the melee but he was forced to use shoulder thrusts to clear a path through the onrushing Zerg. Suddenly, the Major and Eric found themselves staring down each other's smoking barrels but only for a moment for the battle commanded attention. Bygmay joined Denis and together they pressed through to the group of Lieutenant Green, Private Barry and Corporal Nicholai, they fought back-to-back and were holding their ground without trouble. Behind them, Lieutenant White and his BlindEye were fighting with unrelenting fury.  
  
Eventually the Zerg attack grew thin and the Balrogs easily cut down those who remained. The team saw that two of their comrades had fallen. The body of Private Barry Jackson was lying face-down on the ground, three acidic spikes protruded from his back; nearby, Joan Green was lying on her side, still impaled on the claw of a dead Hydralisk, her visor had been shattered and her face mutilated by the shards of high-density tempered acrylite.  
  
"Shit." swore the Major, under his breath.  
  
The team had retracted or removed their helmets and were all staring at the two dead bodies, aghast.  
  
"We'll dig holes. Burry them where they died." said the Major.  
  
The Balrogs dug holes large enough to accommodate the corpses and filled them in again, placing their comrades' weapons and dog tags on the mounds. After a moment of silence, the Major spoke:  
  
"Alright," he said, "Suit up, we're heading out. We've got less than a mile to cover before we reach the Supply Ship. Let's move, people."  
  
The group soon made it to the Supply vessel, the doors were unopened and two small Zerg were running around, trying to find a way inside.  
  
"Wax the mother-fuckers." said the Major, grimly, "Then, Corporal Krouschev, get the door open."  
  
Eric and Denis stormed into the clearing and quickly killed the two creatures. Corporal Nicholai proceeded to the door.  
  
"It shouldn't take any time at all to get this door open, sir." he said. "Fine." replied the Major, "Someone get these Zerg things out of my sight."  
  
Caissie and Denis cleared the dead Zerg out of the small clearing. The Dropship had slid through the forest until it struck the trunk of an enormous tree in a small clearing.  
  
There was a hiss as the door opened and the compartment was depressurized. The door opened slowly and Nicholai went inside. He came out soon carrying a large case.  
  
"Well?" asked the Major. "The cockpit is smashed to shit, sir." said Krouschev, "If the pilots were in there, they're dead." "What's that you're holding?" "This is a mobile communications relay, sir. With this we can establish communication with Admiral Williams." "Make it so." ordered Sam.  
  
Nicholai opened the case and removed a folded satellite dish and set it up, he attached wires to it, running from a power supply and computer system. He pushed a button and a constant beep emitted from the computer.  
  
"It should establish a connection in a few seconds, sir." said Nicholai.  
  
There was finally a beep and a voice came online.  
  
"This is Admiral Williams." he said, "Go ahead." "Admiral, with all due respect, what the fuck happened here, exactly?" said the Major, taking the microphone from Nicholai. "Now let's remember who you're talking to here, Major." said the Admiral, "Apparently the Zerg regenerated faster than expected." "We've seen that first-hand, sir." "I can imagine. We're getting you out of there, rendezvous with a Lifeboat at Vector five-three-seven-nine in twelve hours." "Understood, sir." said the Major, "This is Major Ash, over and out."  
  
Nicholai hit the button and the uplink was terminated.  
  
"Alright, you heard him." said the Major, "We'll rest here for two hours and then we'll head out. "Yes sir." they all replied. "Good, now let's have an equipment report." "We've got two Warthog ATVs, one box of standard ammunition, one box of specialized ammunition, one week's rations, ten standard issue M-14 Gauss Rifles and five energy cells." reported Denis, who had searched the interior of the ship. "Good, Captain Jaillet and Corporal Krouschev get the Warthogs set up, everyone else take only what you can carry."  
  
Eric and Nicholai headed into the ship and drove out the Warthogs. The exterior lights of the ship had been activated, lighting the entire clearing. They loaded the rations and a box of assorted ammunition as well as the energy cells onto the Warthogs. The group had taken most of the remaining ammunition.  
  
Once they had eaten and rested, the team prepared to leave. Eric got into the driver's seat of one of the Warthogs, Denis was beside him, the Major was just behind them and Arylissa manned the turret. Nicholai got behind the wheel of the other, Bygmay Abnett was next to him and Lieutenant White had sat in the back, his man, who called himself Sergeant Lorcha Dako manned the turret. They both sped off into the forest, Eric led the drive, demonstrating expert driving skills, managing to miss trees and still able to drive at very fast speeds. Nicholai trailed behind, he too was very good at driving.  
  
It was when they came out of the forest that they were attacked. Three Mutalisks were flying low and firing their spinning "Glave Wurms" at the Balrogs. Eric put it into a higher gear and pushed the pedal to the floor. Arylissa was keeping them at bay with the high-powered turret; Lorcha Dako was doing the same on the other truck. They went off a small ten-foot cliff and landed without problem, the heavy suspension of the Warthogs was more than adequate to tackle even the largest of bumps. One of the Mutalisks went down, but two remained. A Glave Wurm hit the ground just in front of Nicholai's Warthog and, unable to dodge it, the Corporal struck it, spinning out his truck and sending Sergeant Dako flying out of the truck; he landed nearly fifteen feet away from his original position. Eric downshifted and spun the truck around to head for his fallen comrade. The Warthog's engine was pressed to its limits trying to accelerate.  
  
Lieutenant White had taken over the turret of the damaged Warthog and managed to kill a second Mutalisk and to redirect the second away from his man. The first Warthog sped by and stopped beside Dako, who made haste to jump into the back, Eric accelerated almost immediately after the vehicle came to a stop and they were off.  
  
"How's your truck?" asked the Major into the radio. "I think it's alright, the front fender is just dented, the engine emergency cutoff is engaged, I'm trying to bring it back online." replied Corporal Krouschev.  
  
Arylissa destroyed the third Mutalisk as it came to renew its attack. Nicholai had managed to get the engine back online and they were off once again.  
  
"Watch our sixes, people," said the Major into the radio, "they now know our position, and you can bet there'll be more. How are we doing on time?" "We've got four hours to cover two-hundred and fifteen miles, sir." replied Eric, "We'll be cutting it close."  
  
The rest of the day was uneventful, but when the sun began to set, and the planet was engulfed in darkness, the two vehicles came to a stop on the top of a hill and looked down into a valley at the Zerg base that had been established there.  
  
"We'll go around.. Try not to attract any attention." ordered the Major.  
  
The two vehicles made the detour but were followed by a large group of evolved Zerglings, these were capable of running at incredible speeds and managed to overtake the two vehicles with relative ease. The marines tried to keep them back by firing at them, which seemed to work.  
  
"Sir, we're coming up on the designated area." said Eric. "Noted, Captain." replied Sam. A ship could be seen sitting on the top of a slight incline, but still many Zerglings remained. Denis reached into the box of ammunition and pulled out a grenade. He threw it and it killed large cluster of the creatures. Seeing this, the rest of the team followed suit. The Zerg were driven back a great deal, and few remained. The Warthogs stopped just behind the ship and the Marines proceeded to get inside after killing the remaining Zerg.  
  
"Finally, we can get off this rock." said the Major, buckling his restraints as the door closed.  
  
The Dropship fired its vertical thrusters and quickly exited the planet's atmosphere and proceeded towards Admiral Williams' ship, the Unicorn. The ship docked and the BattleCruiser left orbit. The Admiral, with a few men, greeted the Balrogs as they arrived.  
  
"Welcome back, Major." he said, "My deepest apologies, I was told the planet was nearly clear of Zerg activity, I will see to it that someone is held responsible." "Yeah, whatever." replied the Major, "My men and I are tired, we'd just like to get some sleep." "Certainly, Major." replied the Admiral, "However, I must have a word with you in private first." "Alright," said Sam, "Balrogs, head to our quarters, get some rest." The team did as they were told; Sam and Admiral Williams headed to the Admiral's ready-room.  
  
"We've just left orbit, Major." started Williams, "I've ordered full bombardment of the planet. We'll be meeting another BattleCruiser, the Avery, Fleet Admiral Raynor's ship, in two days. You will be transferred over to his command, he's got an assignment for you, and I have been kept in the dark about it. Oh, and your team has leave to use the recreational facilities aboard the ship at their leisure during the trip." "Understood, sir." "Dismissed."  
  
* * *  
  
Two days later, the Balrogs were sent to the Avery to serve under Fleet Admiral Jim Raynor. Lieutenant White and Sergeant Dako were kept behind and given command of another squad.  
  
"Welcome to the Avery, Major Ash." said Jim Raynor as the Balrogs, full in combat suits, disembarked the Dropship. "Admiral Raynor, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." replied Sam, taking the Admiral's hand. "If you and your two Captains would follow me, please." invited Raynor, "Your Balrogs can follow Colonel Baxter, my first officer, he will lead them to your new quarters." "Yes, sir." replied the Major.  
  
The Shuttle Bay was vacated and the Major, Eric and Denis proceeded with the Admiral to his ready-room. "Major, I'm sorry about what happened on Elsonis II," the Admiral began, "That was a mistake. We're going to bomb the planet again and send in the squads almost immediately." "Apology accepted, Admiral." replied Sam. "Now, as for the Balrogs," said Raynor, "As you know, Andiron is becoming one of the largest planets in the Bikat Sector. With this increase in power, the Dominion is tightening its hold on the planet and plan to use it as a recruiting resource. They have already established two major bases and several smaller outposts. Now, we've found an ex-Confederate outpost, which was used in the wars between the Confederacy and the UED, over fifty years ago. Your mission will be to secure this outpost and bring it up to working order. Once you've accomplished this, a commanding officer along with a platoon of men will be sent down and you will be given new orders." "Not a problem, sir." replied the Major. "Good. We'll be arriving at the planet in about thirty-six hours. Dismissed."  
  
Sam and his men turned and exited. They proceeded to their quarters where the rest of the men awaited after they had stopped in the armory to remove their combat gear. Caissie, Bygmay and Nicholai were playing cards on the table in the center of the room while everyone else lay in their bunks. Eric lie down and almost immediately fell into slumber; Denis sat down and joined his three comrades in their game of poker while the Major laid on his bunk and read a book.  
  
* * *  
  
Thirty-six hours later, the Avery entered standard orbit of Andiron. Major Ash stood at attention in the Shuttle Bay; behind him, his men were in line and in the same stance.  
  
"Now, Major," began Admiral Raynor, "We've just received reports that ex- Confederates may be occupying the outpost you are ordered to seize, we have no positive confirmation but be on your guard. If this is true, then you are to kill every one of them. Take no prisoners and let none escape. Is that understood?" "Sir, yes, sir." responded Sam. "Good. And when you've secured the base, bring the communications relay up to speed and send me a report." "Very well, sir." "God speed, Major."  
  
The Admiral walked out of the room and the Balrogs boarded a Dropship. The Vessel entered the atmosphere under Wraith escort, which left once they had descended to forty thousand feet. The Dropship landed and took off once the Balrogs exited, leaving them to complete their mission.  
  
It was dark on the planet and two white moons dimly lit the earth. Andiron was a warm planet, the ground was grass-covered, and trees were rare as were bodies of water. Underground springs were plentiful, however.  
  
"Alright, we've only got about a mile to cover, let's do it quickly, shall we?" ordered the Major.  
  
The Balrogs jogged the entire way, until the lights of the Confederate outpost could be seen, nearly 200 feet away. A small abandoned communications outpost was nearby, about halfway between them and the Base itself. Communications outposts were used by the Confederacy when long- range communication technology was less advanced.  
  
"Alright, Eric and Denis, take one or two men and head up to the outpost, I'll need you to take out the watch tower occupants," explained Sam, "You will then enter through the rear cargo door and take the barracks, once this is done, unlock and open the front gate. The rest of us will attack the front once you open the gate from inside. Understood?" "Yes, sir," replied Denis, "No problem." "Good, move out."  
  
Eric and Denis took Bygmay and Arylissa with them. They broke through the door into the communications outpost. Nothing was inside except dusty primitive communications equipment and a map of the Base on the table.  
  
"Alright," Eric began, "Denis, position yourself here, that way you will have a clear shot at all three of the towers, here, here and here. Once you've taken them out, I'll blow out the cargo door here, through which Bygmay, Arylissa and I will enter. Denis, follow us in afterwards." "Agreed," said Denis, "Good plan." "Alright, let's move." The four elite soldiers moved through the dark, staying low so as to not be seen. Denis went over towards the South and lay down on a small hill. He pressed a button on his gun and an oval-shaped scope came out from the top, it glowed green since it provided high-definition enhanced imaging with infrared night vision. He instantly picked up his targets and waited for Eric's signal.  
  
The Base was one large compound with guard towers and a gate, instead of several buildings surrounded by a wall. There was only one open courtyard where drills took place.  
  
Eric, Arylissa and Bygmay made their way along the outer wall of the compound to the back and stopped at the cargo door. Eric placed explosives and retreated behind a rock, where the other two waited. Eric gave his signal and Denis expertly took out the two targets. The cargo door was then blown open and the three others infiltrated the base. Denis got up and followed them in.  
  
They made their way to the barracks, the lights were off, but the Marines' visors were equipped with infra-red vision, as well as the optical sensors of the Phantoms, for their helms were not dome-shaped with visors, theirs were full face helmets that hugged the skin, their eyes were black lenses. Of the twenty-five bunks in the room, only twelve were occupied, all of the occupants slept soundly. Eric withdrew his knife and slit the throat of the closest one, and proceeded to the next, seeing this, the others followed suit.  
  
Eric opened the door front door of the barracks, which led into the courtyard, there was a Marine guard posted there, but his helmet was retracted. Eric came up behind the guard silently and grabbed his head before slitting his throat; the Captain slumped the body of the dead Marine down on the ground and looked around. There was one other guard on a patrol; he was climbing the ladder to one of the guard posts. Eric looked back and signaled Denis to take him out. Denis nodded and took aim.  
  
Denis took Arylissa with him to the main control center, on the other side of the yard. Eric took Bygmay and proceeded to the cafeteria and kitchen.  
  
Eric and Bygmay stopped in front of the double doors to the cafeteria. Eric looked at Bygmay, who nodded, signaling Eric to kick down the door. They both went in shooting, quickly killing the five off-duty soldiers who were eating or taking a break. Two men with shotguns came running out of the kitchen, shooting. Eric tipped over a table as cover and ducked down behind it. Bygmay was shot in the leg and fell onto his back, out of sight of the two Confederate soldiers. Captain Jaillet took two "Spaz" Gas Grenades from two pockets on the back of his belt and threw them after pulling the pins. The "Spaz" grenades released a neurotoxin, which entered the body through the skin and attacked the motor nerves with conflicting signals, causing the muscles to lock up into a rigor mortis- like state for up to four days. Eric then ran over to Bygmay before the gas engulfed the room, for the Marine suits were airtight, but not impervious to the "Spaz" gas; the Phantom suits were; however, able to repel the gas. Eric helped Bygmay to stand and to walk out of the room and away from the doors. White gas came pouring out of the doors and went up into the night sky.  
  
Denis and Arylissa made their way to the central control room, Denis entered first, but before Arylissa could enter, the door slammed shut and a soldier came flying out from behind the door at Denis. Denis' weapon was knocked from his grasp, but he was able to flip the man onto his back, but he was up again in a second. Denis punched the man, followed by a kick and then a jumping, turning heel kick to the face, knocking the man unconscious. The Phantoms were trained in hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons and strategy. Denis pressed the release switch for the gate and began turning a crank, letting the gate swing open into a ramp.  
  
Major Sam Ash and his Balrogs strolled into the base, casually, to find Denis and Arylissa tending to Bygmay Abnett's wounds, Eric was sitting down with his helmet off, resting his back against a support pylon.  
  
"Status, Captain." ordered Sam. "Compound secure, sir." replied Eric. "Good." answered the Major, "Men, I want you to clean the bodies out of the barracks and kitchen, if there are any left alive, you know what to do."  
  
The others split into two groups and, minutes later, came dragging bodies out into the yard. Arylissa joined Caissie and went into the barracks.  
  
"Take them outside of the compound, we'll burn them in a few minutes." ordered the Major, "So, Captain, what does this base have to offer?" "Four bunk rooms and a training room in the barracks, one large cafeteria, kitchen, three watch towers, surface and orbital communications relay and one mile radar system." replied Eric. "Excellent, establish an uplink to the Avery and alert me when you've succeeded." said the Major, "Denis, how's Abnett?" "He'll be fine, sir." replied Denis, "Just a flesh wound."  
  
Eric left and climbed the ladder to the communications room on the second floor of the main compound. The Major nodded and walked into the barracks. There was little blood where the bodies lay, the two men affected by the "Spaz" grenades were killed and dragged outside. Krouschev was cleaning the floor. Satisfied, the Major walked out and headed into the barracks. There was blood everywhere on the bunks where the soldiers slept; Caissie and Arylissa were changing the cots.  
  
"Once you're done, get some rest, you've earned it." said the Major, before exiting, "Pass that news on to the rest of the squad."  
  
In the cargo room, there were plenty of ammunition and food supplies as well as Firebat and Marine suits.  
  
"Major!" yelled Eric from the door of the communication room across the yard and on the second story, "I've got you your link!" "Thank you, Captain!" said the Major, jogging to the ladder.  
  
The Major climbed into the dimly lit room overlooking the entire courtyard and grabbed the microphone. "Major Ash, here." he said. "Ah, Major." replied the voice on the other end, "Admiral Raynor, here. I'm impressed Major, that was fast. Tomorrow at 2200 hours, you'll be receiving about eighty men accompanied by Colonel Cyril Dakkar, a very decorated officer, he is to take command of operations down there. He'll give you an assignment as soon as he arrives." "Understood, sir," replied Sam, "We'll have the Base up to speed by then, I'm sure." "Good." replied Raynor, "I'd expect no less. Oh, and Major, just some friendly information; I've heard that the High Council is assembling an elite team of covert ops specialists and are reviewing your Second Officers' files. Over and out."  
  
The radio clicked off and the Major looked over at Eric, who had a proud expression on his face.  
  
"Congratulations, Captain." said the Major, "I'd be sorry to see you and DeLong go, but I'm happy for you." "Thank you, sir." replied Eric. "Why don't you get back down there and get some sleep?" suggested the Major, "After, of course, passing on the good news to Denis." Eric nodded and climbed down the ladder into the courtyard.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day, as the two setting suns turned the sky pink and purple, six Dropships landed on the surface a small distance away from the compound. Major Ash and his two Captains walked out to greet the arriving men. The doors opened and a platoon of nearly eighty men walked out and formed lines in attention stance. Finally, an officer in an upgraded Marine suit walked out of one of the vessels and stood facing the Major.  
  
"Major Ash, I am Colonel Dakkar, I assume command of this outpost." said the man, "These are the UED Rangers, two-hundred and thirty-ninth battalion." "A pleasure to meet you and your men, sir." replied the Major. "The pleasure is mine, Major. I've heard many good things about you." replied the Colonel, "If you would please lead my men and I to the compound, I will give you orders once we arrive." "Yes, sir." said the Major, signaling the Rangers to follow him and his men.  
  
The Rangers followed the Major to the compound, less than a half-mile away.  
  
* * *  
  
"Well, Major," started the Colonel, sitting in his chair behind his desk, in the commanding officer's office of the compound, "I'll make this brief so we can get underway as soon as possible." "Very well." replied the Major. "I have two assignments, one for your Second Officers and another for you and your entire squad. First, your Second Officers are to go to the Dominion Outpost of Kaaw, it's about a half day's walk from here. They are to sabotage the Firebat suits; I'll give them schematics and instructions on exactly what is to be done with the suits. Once this is done, you are to take sixty Rangers and to attack the base. The sabotage will greatly help your victory for they choose to use only FireBats in their bunkers. They will then hold their positions and wait for you. You will brief your officers and send them on their way immediately. Give them these disks. You, your Balrogs and sixty Rangers will leave in twelve hours. You will meet your officers there." "Understood, sir." said Sam. "I will give you additional information when needed. Dismissed." finished Dakkar.  
  
The Major headed to the small lift and went down. He proceeded into the barracks and signaled Eric and Denis to follow him. He stopped just outside the doors and explained to them what was to be done. He gave them the disks, which they then inserted into the slots next to the LCD display pad on their forearms. The speakers inside their helmets turned on and the Colonel's voice came on:  
  
"Hello, Captain." it began, "You will make the eleven hour walk to the Dominion Base Kaaw. You will then infiltrate the base and sabotage the Firebat suits; their schematics and instructions on how to effectuate the sabotage are being displayed on your LCD screens now. You will then exit the base and hold your positions one mile away from the base until Major Ash arrives. I trust you will be able to complete this mission. You are to depart immediately. You may replay these disks as needed for instructions. Good luck."  
  
After saying goodbye to their comrades, they were off.  
  
* * *  
  
Nearly ten hours later, they came to a tall cliff, below them and not far from the foot of the cliff, the lights of Kaaw could be seen. The two men left their rifles on the top of the cliff and proceeded with only their sidearms. Eric had his knives and both had several grenades. They climbed down the cliff expertly and ran to the outer wall of the base. They scaled the wall and jumped into the compound, staying out of sight. Went towards the main building, where the armory was located. They first went into the security control station. Two men were sitting; staring at the monitors as Eric and Denis quietly snuck up behind them and injected them quickly with a sedative. The sedative they used was relatively new, however it worked instantly, not letting the nervous system take notice of the needle; the subjects wake in about thirty minutes thinking they simply dozed off. The Captains then deactivated the alarm system and exited. As they were exiting, a security patrol turned the corner, Eric quickly jumped down and rolled underneath the access ramp, Denis remained still and hugged the wall just inside the door. The guards passed without noticing the intruders and continued on their route. The two soldiers made their way to the armory and entered the door. The lights were off, but the infrared optics of the Phantom suits let them see perfectly. They walked up to every Firebat suit and turned the valves to maximum pressure, they also pressed several buttons on the arm pads of each suit. The entire process took nearly fifteen minutes. They then exited and left the base the way they came.  
  
The two Captains made camp on top of the cliff, out of sight of the base. They spent the rest of the night here. * * *  
  
Early the next morning, the Captains left the cliff and made their way to the rendezvous point, a mile and a half away from the Kaaw. They had only waited thirty minutes when they saw the Major and nearly seventy men coming towards them.  
  
"Greetings, Captains." said the Major, when he got close enough, "I trust you've completed your mission?" "Yes sir." Denis responded.  
  
The suns shone dimly in the pale orange sky and the morning air was chill. The Major took a map out of his pocket and laid it out on the ground, the entire squad got down and watched as he pointed out different points on the paper.  
  
"I propose a two-pronged attack," he suggested, "One led by Captains DeLong and Jaillet and the other led by myself. Snipers, make your way to the cliff edge over there and take out the gunnery towers once we've breeched the bunker line. Okay, let's split up the group into two equally sized forces, more or less."  
  
The Snipers, nearly ten, left the group and made their way up to the cliff where Denis and Eric had previously been. The remainder of the Rangers split into two teams. Once the teams were in position and the snipers reported ready, the entire force mobilized and converged on the base. All of the men ran towards the compound, which was blocked off by the bunkers.  
  
* * *  
  
The four Firebats sat around the table in the middle of the bunker and looked at their cards. One of them let out a smile and put down his cards, he had a straight. Just as he began to reach for the money, one of the men stopped him and put down his own cards, showing a royal flush.  
  
"Dammit." said the first man.  
  
The alarm was suddenly rung and the four men scrambled out of their chairs to the windows. They saw the oncoming marines and pressed the triggers for their flamethrowers.  
  
* * *  
  
The bunkers exploded and were engulfed in flame as the Rangers ran towards the compound. They ran by the burning bunkers. One Ranger climbed onto a section of a bunker to elevate himself above his comrades, he un- slung a large weapon from his shoulder and aimed it at the gate before firing, the rocket tore the gate off its hinges and it fell inwards into the base. He saw a Siege Tank inside and reloaded his weapon. He fired again, destroying the tank before it could fire the devastating Arclite Shock Cannon.  
  
Eric, Denis and a squad of fifteen men took cover behind the destroyed tank. Over on the left, the Rangers had breached the line of Dominion fighters and were succeeding in driving them back towards the second side of the pincer attack led by Major Ash. More of the Firebat suits exploded and erupted flames everywhere, covering the Dominion Marines. Eric threw two Phosphorous Grenades: these explosives scattered white phosphorous over a large area, which then burned on contact with oxygen until completely oxidized.  
  
"Alright!" yelled Denis, "Let's move! Go, go, go, go, go!"  
  
The men ran out from cover and began firing, mowing down the Dominion supporters. The second prong of the attack came in on the other side of the base and decimated the enemy from behind. The snipers had long since taken out the gunnery turrets and were now monitoring the Dropships on the other side of Kaaw.  
  
The Dominion fighters were now trying to escape, running towards the Dropships, but being closely followed and killed by the vicious Directorate attackers. The accurate snipers killed the pilots of the vessels before they could liftoff, and the Marines inside were trapped. The Rangers and Balrogs swept through the remainder of the base, searching out and killing any survivors. The communications relay had been reactivated and Major Ash was speaking to Colonel Dakkar:  
  
"The attack went better than planned, sir." said the Major, "Only thirteen Ranger casualties." "Excellent." replied the Colonel, "I had another assignment for you, but Admiral Raynor seems to have other plans. A Dropship will be sent in one hour for you and your men; be ready. Hand your command to Sergeant Major Jorgensen; he's the ranking member of the Rangers. He is to clean up the base, bring it up to speed and prepare for Vice Admiral Montag's arrival; he is taking full command of war operations down here. I trust you will give him this information." "Yes, sir." replied the Major, "Vice Admiral Montag is coming here? Is that the same Guy Montag who led the Omega Squadron to victory over Tal Qirat?" "Yes, it is. Why?" "The man's a hero, I just didn't expect him to be coming here, sir." "Over and out."  
  
The Major put down the radio and left the communications post to find Sergeant Major Jorgensen. On the way, he stopped into the Balrogs' quarters.  
  
"We're leaving in one hour, pack your shit." He said, leaving again.  
  
The Major went to find Jorgensen and gave him his orders and command.  
  
* * *  
  
The shuttle ride up to the Avery was as usual. They docked and were told to go to their quarters except for Eric and Denis, who were to go to the Admiral's Ready Room.  
  
"You wanted to see us, sir?" asked Denis, coming into the room. Raynor was sitting as his desk, smoking a cigar and looking out the window at the planet. "Yes, Captains, come in! Come in!" said the Admiral, getting up, "I'm not sure if you know or not but the High Council is assembling a team of elite covert operatives and have selected you two after reviewing your records, they want you to report to High Command as soon as possible. They've arranged for a Protoss vessel as transport since their Carriers have superior speed than our BattleCruisers. It'll be arriving in a few hours to pick you both up; you've been stripped of your positions in the Balrogs. I'll see to it personally that good officers are sent to replace you under Major Ash's command." "Thank you, sir." said Eric. "Dismissed." said Raynor, "Oh, and report to the main Shuttle Bay at 0600 hours, be ready to leave."  
  
The two men nodded and left.  
  
* * *  
  
The Protoss Shuttle sat in the Shuttle Bay of the Avery. Captains Eric Jaillet and Denis DeLong stood at attention; behind them, the Balrogs stood in the same stance. After saying their goodbyes, the two men entered the Shuttle to leave the Avery and board the Protoss ship "X'qnifloote- t'z".  
  
The Protoss Carrier left orbit as soon as its cargo had docked. The voyage lasted two days on one of the fastest vessels in the Protoss fleet, a journey that would have taken Raynor's ship five days.  
  
They arrived on the planet Iria, where the UED High Council often convened. They were brought down to the surface where they were given luxurious quarters. The next morning, they were brought before the High Council; however, only three of the ten members were present.  
  
"Greetings, Captains." said one of them, "I am Fleet Admiral Keifer Chiron. We are only three because everyone wasn't needed." "We are putting together a team of elite covert operations specialists for various missions." Put in another. "Do you accept this offer with all the advantages and disadvantages which might follow?" asked Chiron. "Yes, sir." said Eric. "Yes, sir." said Denis. "Excellent. You are hereby promoted to Major and given positions in the Special Operations team, codename Gryphons." "Thank you, sir." said Denis. "Go to the Armory, changes and improvements have been made to your suits. Get ready to leaving, the BattleCruiser Cronus has entered standard orbit. The remainder of the Gryphons is onboard; we still have five soldiers to interview. Once this has been done, the newer members will be sent up to the vessel and you will be underway for your first mission." "Dismissed." said the last member.  
  
The two Majors left the room and headed to the armory to prepare for departure. Their suits had been equipped with singular radar targeting systems and had been refitted to repel the newest discovered lethal gases; an air filtration system had also been fitted onto the helmets. Also, the Captain insignia had been replaced with that of Major.  
  
Once they had put on their suits, they made their way to the Shuttle Bay, where they boarded a Dropship and flew up to the Cronus. When they docked with the immense BattleCruiser, three men, standing at attention, greeted them.  
  
"Greetings, Majors." said one of them, "I am Rear Admiral Ibram Gaunt, Commander of the Gryphons." "A pleasure, sir." replied Eric, taking his hand. "These are two members of the Gryphons, Captain Karnov Morwen; an expert covert combatant and Major John Tarsis; a field medic and expert espionage agent. We will be receiving five others during the day, once this is done, we will be off. This vessel will be your permanent residence from now on, Captained by Fleet Admiral Jackson Hauler. The Gryphons will work out of this ship, the ship is also dedicated to the Gryphons, no other people other than us and the crew are onboard." "Understood, sir." replied Denis. "Good, I suggest you get acquainted with the rest of the team, you'll be working together often from now on." finished the Admiral, before leaving through the door.  
  
Karnov Morwen was of an average height and had black hair; John Tarsis was nearly similar in height but had long blonde hair tied back. The four others went to the lounge and talked until the other five soldiers arrived: Captain Jonas Vegg; a communications and electronics expert as well as a covert ops expert; he was shorter, but quite muscular; he had a shaved head and a red goatee. Captain Darok Corwyn; he was of an average height and had very short blonde hair; he was a tactical planner and strategist as well as a covert ops specialist. First Lieutenant Rivalyn Chilar; a tactical espionage expert, also a pilot; he was of an above average height and had a shaved head. Major Doran Hastur; a technician in the fields of power distribution and electronics of all types as well as a covert ops expert; he was a shorter man with black hair. Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Abnus; the best espionage agent in the UED; he was of an average height and had a shaved head. The entire team was comprised of Phantoms. The Cronus left orbit immediately after they were aboard.  
  
The Gryphons were all asked to join Rear Admiral Gaunt in the meeting lounge. Eric and Denis entered the room followed by Captain Morwen and Major Tarsis. The room was small; one wall was lined with windows and a long narrow table sat in the middle of the room, surrounded in chairs. Admiral Gaunt sat at the end of the table; behind him was a large screen. The men sat down and noticed that every chair had controls on the armrest to control the screen; a disk slot was also present incase information was not in the main computer's database.  
  
"Let's begin." said the Admiral, "I look forward to serving with each one of you. I've looked over all of your files and I am very impressed, this team will be interesting. Alright, our first assignment is the Dominion Space Station Mil, orbiting the Dominion-controlled planet of Teresias. Our mission is to infiltrate the Space Station and to take control of it. We will dock with the space station using a Dominion spacecraft, which we've been able to capture. We've also paid to receive access codes for docking. Any questions?" "Yes, sir." said Captain Vegg, "What kind of military power are we up against?" "Not sure, Captain. But we estimate that there will be a significant military presence aboard the Station. Now, if you look here," the screen came on, showing schematics of the Station, "We will enter here, at which point we will kill the guards and the workers, they think they're receiving medical supplies. It'll have to be done quickly without noise. We will split into four groups; one will head to the Bridge, another to the Power Control room to deactivate all power to weapons, security and life support. Another will go to the communications room, since their comm is on a standalone power system, they will be able to send signals to the planet even though the power is down. The last team will go to the main engineering bay where the escape pods are monitored; they will de-activate the escape pod hatches. All teams will then sweep different sectors of the station to find any survivors. Survivors will be used to collect information and will be detained in the main brig. If all goes well, we will have captured the Station without letting anyone know of our presence. Understood?" "Yes, sir." said the entire team. "Good, the specifics we will sort out once we are on the station, we will be able to plan according to the situation. We will be leaving in one hour. Report to the Shuttle Bay at that time. Dismissed."  
  
The men got up and left the room, some went to their quarters, others to the lounge for a drink or some food.  
  
* * *  
  
The team reported to the Shuttle Bay after an hour. A modified Dropship was sitting in the bay.  
  
"This is the DS five Dominion Dropship. We'll be using it to infiltrate the station." explained the Admiral, "There is still a ninety minute flight to the station itself, we could not bring the Cronus any closer for fear of detection. We will fly the rest of the way with the vessel you see here. Are there any questions?" "No sir." answered the men. "Good, then let's get aboard."  
  
The men climbed into the vessel and took off.  
  
"Alright, first group, Alpha team, will breach the communications room, that'll be Major DeLong with Captains Vegg and Morwen. Second group, Bravo team, will breach the main bridge, that'll be myself, Lieutenant Chilar and Captain Corwyn. Third group, Charlie team, will take out the power room, that's Majors Jaillet and Hastur. Last group, Delta team, will go to engineering, that'll be Major Tarsis and Lieutenant Colonel Abnus. Your computers have all been programmed with the maps of the station. Also, your weapons have been fitted with internal silencers. Now let's enjoy the ride."  
  
The flight took less time than expected. The vessel docked outside of the Space Station and the doors opened, immediately, the Phantoms were slashing with knives. Eric threw one of his knives, it struck one of the guards at the door in the throat, and he then turned and slashed one of the workers in the face. Denis took out the other door guard just as he was preparing to leave through the doors.  
  
"Shuttle Docking Bay secure, Admiral." reported Lieutenant Colonel Abnus, the second officer of the group. "Good, split into groups, everyone report when you're at the designated locations. No one enter until given clearance. The Bridge will have to be taken first, since they can detect any deactivations of any system from there. Got it?" "Sir yes, sir." replied the men. "Move out."  
  
The men exited the docking bay and split into four groups. Denis headed quickly towards the communications room with the two Captains Vegg and Morwen. Several guards were killed on the way. They quickly made it to the door of their designated room.  
  
"Sir, Alpha team in position." said Denis into the voice-activated microphone in his helmet. "Very well, wait a few minutes." replied the Admiral.  
  
Denis and his two comrades waited two or three minutes when the radio clicked on.  
  
"Alright, Major, take the comm room."  
  
Denis opened the door and took out the two men inside before they noticed the intruders. He then proceeded over to one of the control panels and entered the access code they had payed for to deactivate the system.  
  
* * *  
  
Eric left the Docking Bay followed by Major Hastur. They proceeded down an elevator lift to the bottom deck, the door slid open to reveal a long hallway, Major Hastur took out the two workers coming towards them, the two Phantoms then ran to the door at the end of the hall.  
  
"Admiral, Charlie team in position." said Eric in to microphone. "Good, breach it, go!" said the Admiral.  
  
Eric opened the door, and both Gryphons opened fire on the workers inside, fortunately no guards were present. Eric then proceeded over to the main controls in the center of the room and switched off the security and surveillance systems. Major Hastur deactivated the Life Support and Lighting systems. The speakers in the ceiling came online:  
  
"Life Support systems offline. Proceed to nearest evacuation facility."  
  
* * *  
  
Lieutenant Colonel Abnus and Major Tarsis ran through the heavily guarded corridor, killing guards and workers alike. The lights and life support systems had been deactivated already and the two men activated their Infrared imaging systems. They came to a large set of double doors; in black, the letters "engineering" could be read.  
  
"Sir, Delta team in position." reported the Lieutenant. "Hurry, Lieutenant, take the room!" replied the Admiral.  
  
Major Tarsis stuck his knife in between the doors and pried them open; since the power had been deactivated, the doors would no longer open automatically. The two men entered but all of the workers were already dead, the oxygen systems were switched off with the life support. Lieutenant Abnus sprinted over to the Lifeboat monitoring system and shut it down; he looked at the screen and saw that one had been launched before he could stop it.  
  
"Sir, one pod got away." reported the Lieutenant. "It's alright." replied the Admiral, after a minute of silence, "We've got it under control."  
  
* * *  
  
Admiral Gaunt led Lieutenant Chilar and Captain Corwyn towards the main bridge; this section of the station was the most heavily guarded. The three men came to an elevator lift; they entered and went to the top deck, directly to the bridge, which was on the top deck in the center of the station. Before the doors opened, the radio clicked on:  
  
"Sir, Alpha team in position." Very well, wait a few minutes."  
  
When the doors opened, the Admiral through a smoke grenade into the room, trying to blind the guards to their whereabouts. The three men expertly killed everyone in the room quickly and decisively. The Admiral spoke into his microphone again:  
  
"Alright, Major, take the comm room."  
  
Lieutenant Chilar sat at the systems monitoring station and Captain Corwyn sat at the tactical weapons station. That Admiral sat in the command chair in the center of the bridge; his radio clicked on again:  
  
"Admiral, Charlie team in position." "Good, breach it, go!" said the Admiral.  
  
A few minutes later, the computer speakers announced:  
  
"Life Support systems offline. Proceed to nearest evacuation facility."  
  
The Admiral's radio clicked once more: "Sir, Delta team in position." "Hurry, Lieutenant, take the room!" replied the Admiral.  
  
He waited several seconds and the Lieutenant Colonel came on again:  
  
"Sir, one pod got away." reported the Lieutenant. "Shit." the Admiral said to himself, he opened a channel to Major Jaillet: "Major, get the weapons system back online, hurry." "It's operational, sir." reported Eric after a few seconds. "Fire quantum torpedo at that pod, Captain Corwyn." ordered the Admiral, before opening a channel back to Lieutenant Abnus: "It's alright. We've got it under control."  
  
* * *  
  
The bodies of the dead personnel were thrown into the waste facility and ejected into space with all the rest of the waste and garbage to keep the corpses from detection. The power to all systems had been restored and the station was running smoothly after having been cleaned of the little blood on the walls and floors. They had received a transmission from the planet, the monitor of space operations in one of the Dominion bases had detected power surge in the station and a weapons discharge:  
  
"It's quite alright," replied the Admiral, "there was a small comet entering the atmosphere, and we destroyed it, that's the weapons activation you detected, the materials in the comet caused an electro-magnetic pulse to temporarily shut down power to some of the main systems, we've got it under control. Over and out."  
  
Fortunately, there was only audio communications and not video transmissions or the mission cover would have been breeched. The Admiral switched on the station's radio to all decks:  
  
"Good job, men." he said, "They don't suspect a thing. It went well, only one minor mishap. Congratulations on our first victory. Now, prepare to transfer all Major system controls to the Bridge and report here once it's done."  
  
Members of the team were scattered throughout the station, making sure all major systems were running smoothly before transferring control to the Bridge. Once all control was transferred to their respective stations on the main Bridge, and all men reported to those stations, the Admiral spoke:  
  
"Major Jaillet, take Captain Corwyn's position at Tactical." ordered Gaunt, "Captain Corwyn, I want you to run a personnel search for Talis Morwen, a member of the UED military resources council. He has been suspected of secretly selling information about our surplus weapon transports to the Dominion for some time; giving them the ability to hijack the shipments and steal the Directorate's armaments. The High Council has been finally able to prove his guilt. The Council had him followed to Teresias, he has been communicating frequently with some of the Dominion officials on the planet, it has been determined that a deal is going down in three days. His stats and bio-signatures are all on this disk. You can use them to locate him; unfortunately, we haven't been able to find out exactly where he is going, so you'll have to scan the entire planet surface." "It will take a long-range ionization scan to locate him." replied Corwyn, taking the disk, "It will take a day, perhaps two to find him if we have to scan the whole surface." "Make it so, Captain."  
  
Eric took Corwyn's place at the Tactical station as he left. Corwyn went to a station at the rear of the bridge and began preparations to scan the surface.  
  
* * *  
  
Two days later, the Gryphons made the necessary preparations to descend to the planet's surface. Captain Darok Corwyn had completed the scan of the planet and had found Talis Morwen in a city named Liosliath, in the southern continent of the western hemisphere. Major Hastur removed the transponder in the Dropship so as to not be detected on their way down to the planet.  
  
"Alright, men," said Admiral Gaunt into the intercom to all decks of the station, "We'll be leaving the station in one hour. Everyone report to the shuttle docking bay in forty-five minutes for a complete briefing. Over and out." "Major DeLong," said the Admiral to Denis, who was at the systems monitoring station, "Set the station's self-destruct sequence online. Give it a twenty-four hour silent countdown; the explosion will mask our escape and the destruction of the space station will limit their sensor range. We should be able to leave the surface and make it back to the Cronus without being detected." "Understood, sir." replied the Major.  
  
The team gathered all the supplies, ammunition and weapons they deemed necessary and proceeded to the shuttle docking bay for departure.  
  
"Alright," said the Admiral, pacing in the front of his men, who were standing at attention in their proper positions, "We're to proceed down to the planet surface via the Dropship which will be piloted by Lieutenant Chilar, we will land in vector three-seven-alpha on top of an edifice neighboring Morwen's hotel. The Lieutenant will then take to the air and stay close to the city. The remainder of us will wait atop the edifice until Morwen leaves. We will then follow him to the meeting location where we will take all Dominion representatives and other attendants into custody. Lieutenant Chilar will then retrieve us, at which point we will leave orbit. Understood?" "Yes, sir." replied the men, in unison.  
  
* * *  
  
Council member Talis Morwen of the United Earth Directorate made his way through the lobby of the FireCrest Hotel. He was a middle-aged man and was of an average height. He had black hair, graying at the temples, which he wore slicked back. He wore a black overcoat and held a briefcase in his left hand.  
  
He left the hotel and proceeded down the front stairs to a limousine, which awaited him under the night sky. The driver stood beside the vehicle and opened the back door as Morwen approached. Once the Council member was inside, the driver, clad in a black business suit, ran around the car to the driver's seat. The vehicle was started and steered away from the FireCrest.  
  
The black vehicle made its way through the city streets, which were illuminated by the bright lights of the passing buildings. After a long trip through winding streets and intersections, the car came to a stop in front of a tall building, which was under construction.  
  
"So you'll be here in an hour and a half, David?" said Morwen to his driver. "Yes, sir." replied the man. "Thank you."  
  
Morwen disembarked from his vehicle and made his way to the alley between this building and the next. As he walked through the dark, narrow alley, he thought the heard something like footsteps behind him. But when he turned to look, they stopped and nothing was seen.  
  
A large door opened on the side of the edifice, which was under construction, and a large man came out.  
  
"Hello, mister Morwen." said the large man, "We've been expecting you." "Hello, Carl." replied Morwen, walking through the doorway, which the man held open.  
  
Talis Morwen descended a set of metal stairs down one story into a large metallic room, empty except for the long table in the center. The only light in the room came from two long lamps, which hung from the ceiling just over the table. Ten men sat around the table in large comfortable-looking leather chairs. The man sitting at the end of the table stood up and motioned towards the only empty chair in the room:  
  
"Welcome, mister Morwen." said the man, who was wearing a dominion formal military uniform, as all of the others did except Morwen, "We've been anxiously awaiting your arrival. I hope your journey through the city wasn't too uncomfortable." "No, it was fine," replied Morwen, taking a seat in the empty chair. "Excellent, let's get down to business." said the man, sitting down again.  
  
A small flame erupted in the darkness away from the table. The flame subsided, but a small red ember remained. The men who saw this stood and pulled their sidearms.  
  
"Oh please," said Admiral Ibram Gaunt, coming into the light, his helmet in his left hand and a cigar in his mouth, "if I wanted you dead you would already be that way."  
  
A series of red targeting lasers came out of the darkness all around the table; each one picked a target. Seven other men uncloaked; their weapons were emitting of the lasers.  
  
"Slowly place your weapons onto the table and back away." ordered the Admiral. "Who the hell are you?" asked the man sitting at the end of the table. "I am Admiral Ibram Gaunt. And you are all under arrest in the name of the United Earth Directorate."  
  
The Dominion representatives, along with Talis Morwen, were restrained using magnetic cuffs placed on the wrists. Admiral Gaunt contacted Lieutenant Rivalyn Chilar for retrieval. The DropShip landed on the street, just outside the alley, stopping the traffic flow. The Gryphons ushered the detained men inside in single file. Once the procedure was complete, the vessel powered its thrusters and took off, heading towards the outer atmosphere and back towards the Cronus BattleCruiser.  
  
* * *  
  
"Sir," called Lieutenant Chilar from the cockpit, "We're approaching the location of the Cronus, sir." "Good." replied the Admiral, poking his head through the short doorway into the cockpit. "But there's something else," added the Lieutenant, "Sensors indicate that there are three ships. The Cronus is right where we left her, but the Phoenix and the Bozeman are also holding positions in close perimeter." "Interesting." Admiral Gaunt whispered to himself, "Steady as she goes, Lieutenant."  
  
The Dropship returned to the Cronus' docking bay within the next thirty minutes. Once the vessel was securely docked, the doors dropped open to reveal Fleet Admiral Jackson Hauler, the captain the of Cronus, and three other officers, who were easily identified as Admirals and Fleet Admirals by the insignia on their uniforms.  
  
"Welcome home, Admiral Gaunt," said Hauler, as the men disembarked from the shuttle and ushered the prisoners with them, "I trust the mission went successfully without too much trouble." "Yes sir," replied Gaunt, "no trouble at all." "Good," replied Hauler, "Admiral, I'd like you to meet Fleet Admiral Cyril Thorne, Admiral Alan Spiner and Admiral Robert Forbes. Admirals Spiner and Forbes are here to take these prisoners off our hands and take them back to Earth. Fleet Admiral Thorne is here as a delegate of the High Council; he has matters that him and I must resolve. He will be staying onboard for several days, so don't hesitate to call on him if anything needs to be brought to his attention." "Understood, sir." "Good. Why don't you and your men get cleaned up and have something to eat? Dismissed."  
  
The Gryphons saluted and walked from the room. The prisoners were filed into another Dropship, which left soon after all were aboard and made its way to the U.D.S. Bozeman. The Bozeman then powered its engines and turned around before beginning to make its long journey home. The U.D.S. Phoenix was Fleet Admiral Thorne's vessel; therefore, it stayed within close proximity of the Cronus.  
  
Once they had cleaned up and had slipped into the standard combat uniforms, Denis and Eric made their way to the Lounge, where they ordered a meal and some drinks. They ate hungrily and relaxed there for some time, finishing their drinks and talking of past events. Fleet Admiral Thorne, who was sitting at the bar, walked over to their table, holding three drinks.  
  
"Mind if I join you, men?" he asked. "No sir, not at all." replied Denis. "Here," said the Admiral, "I got you some drinks." "Thank you, sir." said Denis. "So, what did you think of the last mission?" asked Thorne. "Quite well, there were a few setbacks but nothing we couldn't handle." replied Eric. "I though it went very well." replied Thorne, "Talis Morwen will probably be executed once he gets to Earth."  
  
The Admiral sat back in his chair and drank from the alcoholic beverage he held in his hand. He removed his hat and placed it on the corner of the table. The Admiral was of a respectable age - probably his late fifties - but looked younger. He had a graying black mustache and short black hair, slicked back and graying at the temples.  
  
"The Dominion executives will also prove useful," continued Thorne, after a long moment of silence, "We should be able --"  
  
Admiral Ibram Gaunt walked into the room and paused, looking around. He finally caught the three men sitting at the table in his view and walked over to them, taking the last empty seat at the table.  
  
"I just got done talking to Admiral Hauler." he said, "We just received a long range transmission. It appears the Dominion presence on Andiron is getting worse. Because of the aid of Major Sam Ash and the Balrogs, the team that first established Directorate presence on the planet, a significant military presence could be established. I'm sure, Majors DeLong and Jaillet, you remember that mission." "Yes, sir." replied Eric. "Well, the Dominion apparently wants this planet very bad. They have increased their military strength on that planet by seven hundred percent in the past month alone. They've established mandatory military enrollment in all of the cities they control. The planet possesses a population of over forty billion; we can't let them take it. To compensate, Fleet Admiral Keifer Chiron of the High Council is now leading a fleet of over fifty ships and has ordered any ship in the Typheron sector to head immediately to designated rally zone Wolf three nine five. That doesn't apply to us; however, he sent a transmission to us; he wants the Gryphons to perform a mission of top priority, which might grant us a great advantage in the fight. Dominion Admiral David Thavirat is heading to Andiron himself with a fleet of vessels. We are to infiltrate his ship, the D.C.S. Maxwell. They have developed a way for us to get through the fleet and into his ship without being detected, I am unfamiliar with the specifics, but they will be explained once we reach Wolf three nine five. Andiron has become on of the largest military campaigns in history." "Admiral Thorne," Gaunt continued, "you will be joining us on this mission as well. I understand you were a Phantom during your younger days; you will become one again. Here are your orders."  
  
Gaunt removed a small disk from his pocket and placed it in the center of the table.  
  
"Admiral Hauler has ordered that the engines be brought online; he has also relayed the message to your ship. We should be underway in five minutes." "My Phoenix can reach Impulse factor twenty-five, Admiral," Thorne snickered, "do you think this vessel can keep up?" "The Cronus has been equipped with engines which can take her to Impulse factor thirty-seven if need be, Admiral. But we will be traveling at the same velocity, Impulse twenty-three should bring is to Wolf three nine five within seventy-two hours." "Excellent." replied Thorne, taking the disk on the table and getting up, "I'm sorry to leave you gentlemen, but I should probably be returning to my ship. I'll be back within the hour and we can continue our conversation. It's been nice talking with you." "Likewise, sir." replied Eric.  
  
The Admiral nodded and finished what was left of his drink before walking out of the room.  
  
* * *  
  
The two vessels completed the long journey in slightly more time than expected. They entered Wolf three nine five where more than seventy other vessels held their positions. Fleet Admiral Keifer Chiron flew to the Cronus in a Dropship under Wraith escort. The Gryphons and Fleet Admiral Thorne were sitting in the meeting room as they had been ordered when Admirals Hauler and Chiron walked into the room. The men took their seats and Chiron began:  
  
"Greetings, men." he said, "Now, as you know, we have a special mission of a covert nature for you. With the aid of both Protoss and our own engineers, we have built four Dropships capable of cloak. This cloaking device is unlike any other known to us; you will be able to proceed undetected, even in such close proximity as is required for this mission. The vessel can contain more fuel and also uses less fuel than conventional Dropships. Any questions so far?" "Good," continued the Admiral after no one spoke; he stood and activated the display screen on the wall. It shown a schematic of David Thavirat's BattleCruiser, "Your team will be collaborating with three other covert teams: the Red Fists, the Mandrakes and the Falcons. The Dropships will drop the crews off at these points. You will then cut through the outer hull of the ship and enter into the field dampening section. You will then reseal the hull and cut through the inner hull, this way, they will not detect depressurization. At this point, you will proceed to the bridge, killing any who stand in your way and avoiding detection at any cost. Once you reach the bridge, kill everyone, except Thavirat, whom you will detain. Afterward, contact the other teams. The Red Fists will take the Engineering section; the Mandrakes will take the War Room; and the Falcons will take control of the Communications room. Lock down all quarters and armories first. Once the other teams take their designated sections, lock them down. If all goes well, you should have control of Thavirat's BattleCruiser without being detected. Once you've taken control of the ship, remain with the fleet; we will intercept the Dominion fleet with our own, when the battle begins, you should be able to maneuver out of formation and behind our lines. Understood?" "Yes, sir." said Admiral Gaunt. "Oh, and one more thing; Admiral Thorne, you will have command of this mission. Get ready, you leave in three hours."  
  
Once the conference was complete, the Gryphons saluted and left. Some went to rest; others went to eat. They then prepared for departure.  
  
* * *  
  
The four modified Dropships broke the silence of space. They had been flying for several hours and were approaching the Dominion fleet.  
  
"Admiral Thorne," called one of the pilots, "tell your men to be quiet, we're activating the cloak."  
  
The Admiral looked at him and nodded. The vessels disappeared from sight, along with all their contents.  
  
Thirty-three minutes later, they came upon the fleet. The pilots scanned the vessels and confirmed the location of Thavirat's battleship. The four Dropships took different positions along the hull of the D.C.S. Maxwell.  
  
The Gryphons activate their personal cloaking devices. The vessel depressurized and a set of doors slid open on the bottom of the vessel, revealing a portion of the Maxwell's hull, only fifteen feet away. The team, one by one, jumped out into space, grabbing onto whatever they could once they reached the huge ship below.  
  
Captain Jonas Vegg removed a laser cutter from a pouch on his belt. Once it was turned on, it emitted no light so as not to be seen. It sliced into the metal easily and soon a large hole was cut where once there was none. The men slid into the hole into the field dampening section, an area between the inner and outer hulls, made to prevent buckling of the inner hull if the outer hull flexed. Vegg resealed the hole with another tool; he then repeated the procedure on the inner hull. They were in a dark empty room, which appeared to be some sort of mechanic closet. Their infrared sensors made it possible to see in the blackness. Captain Jonas fiddled with the electronic lock of the door until it opened; the Gryphons stormed out of the room and killed anyone they encountered on sight.  
  
Admiral Thorne's radio clicked on:  
  
"Admiral, this is Major Laurence King, commander of the Falcons, sir." said the voice, "we've taken the communications room and have deactivated all long and short range communication relays." "Excellent, hold position." replied the Admiral.  
  
Eric ran as fast as he could, shooting everyone he saw. He ran up behind one of the Dominion officers, pulled his head up with one hand and jabbed a knife into his neck. Hot blood spurted out with every heartbeat. Eric pulled the knife out and kept running.  
  
They reached a lift; on the doors was marked "Main Bridge" in black letters. The Gryphons entered and pushed open the hatch on the ceiling. They all exited and climbed up a ladder on the wall of the dark round shaft. They climbed for some time before reaching a set of doors. Denis, being the first one up, pulled the emergency release button, opening the doors. The immediately climbed up and began shooting. Two unsuspecting victims fell to the rain of hot uranium, the others quickly pulled weapons, mainly small handguns, to defend themselves as best they could. Blood spurted from multiple wounds on several victims, rapidly increasing in number. Admiral Gaunt followed into the room, then Eric, then Thorne until one after the other, they were all on the Bridge of the ship. The onslaught, which ensued, was horrendous; the Dominion officers' weapons barely affected the comparatively heavily armed intruders. The lack of cover on the Main Bridge made it nearly impossible to survive; however, several of the men, including Thavirat, were waiting for the lift on the opposite end of the room to arrive. Captain Darok Corwyn, with the aid of his comrades in the form of cover fire, made it to the tactical operations station and locked down the lift in question. Once they realized escape was impossible, the resisting Dominion personnel surrendered, only to be executed after Lieutenant Chilar had detained Thavirat. Captain Corwyn activated the lockdown systems for all quarters and armories.  
  
The lights were suddenly turned off and replaced by dim red lamps; the gravity had been deactivated and the men began floating. The Admiral's radio clicked once more:  
  
"Admiral, this is the commander of the Red Fists. We've infiltrated Engineering successfully and have deactivated life support on all decks and sections except the Main Bridge. Main power and gravity systems have also been deactivated; auxiliary power is still functional to maintain the lockdown." "Excellent work." replied the Admiral, "Put yourself in for a commendation." "Thank you, sir." replied the voice, "Major Drasil Legunda, commander of the Mandrakes wanted me to report that the War Room has been also overrun." "Good. Reactivate main power but keep lights and non-critical systems offline. Reactivate life support in twenty minutes, all of the passengers on the ship should be dead by then." "Affirmative."  
  
The transmission ended. Eric took over on the navigational station and set the engines on automatic control. Exactly twenty minutes later, life support systems were reactivated and the gravity was gradually restored to normal conditions.  
  
"Major DeLong, scan the ship for survivors." the Admiral said to Denis, who had positioned himself at the systems monitoring station. "Yes, sir." he replied. "There is a group of life forms heading down corridor seven on deck eighteen, section two. They will have reached Main Engineering within six minutes." Denis said, after the scan was complete.  
  
The Admiral clicked his radio on:  
  
"Red Fists, come in." he said. "This is Rear Admiral Guldur." replied a voice. "Admiral, a group of Dominion personnel are headed your way." "Affirmative, we'll be ready. Guldur out."  
  
The speakers clicked off and Thorne sat in the Captain's chair.  
  
"Steady as she goes, Major Jaillet." he said. "Aye, sir." replied the Major.  
  
After several minutes, the radio clicked back on:  
  
"Sir, this is Rear Admiral Guldur in Engineering." said the voice. "Go ahead." replied the Admiral. "We engaged some Dominion marines, I think they were locked into one of the Armories and were able to override the lock." reported Guldur. "Any casualties?" "We got them all, sir, but one of my men took a hit, nothing serious." "Do any of your men have medical training?" "No, sir." "Alright, bring him to the Sick Bay. I'll have someone meet you there." "Yes, sir. Guldur out."  
  
The Admiral contacted one of the other teams:  
  
"Major Legunda, come in." he said. "Legunda, here." "Do any of your men have medical training?" "Yes, sir." "Send him to sick bay immediately." "Yes, sir."  
  
The transmission ended and the Admiral resumed with monitoring his men's operations.  
  
* * *  
  
Nearly a day later, the distance between the two fleets began to thin.  
  
"How long until we make contact with the Directorate Fleet?" asked Fleet Admiral Thorne. "Forty-two minutes, sir." replied Eric. "Excellent."  
  
Thirty minutes later, the ships audio speakers came online:  
  
"Admiral Thavirat." said a voice, "This is Colonel Votra of the D.C.S. Stagheart. A large Directorate fleet is on an intercept course. Should we engage?"  
  
Admiral Thorne withdrew his sidearm and looked over at the bound man, sitting in the First-Officer's chair.  
  
"Acknowledged, Colonel." spoke Thavirat, dully, "Engage the fleet." "Yes, sir." replied the Colonel.  
  
Thorne smiled curtly and holstered his weapon.  
  
"Stay with the fleet, Major Jaillet." ordered Thorne. "Aye, sir." replied Eric, "Switching to manual control. Changing course to intercept Directorate fleet."  
  
Several minutes later, Eric spoke again:  
  
"Sir, we are approaching the Directorate fleet." "On screen." ordered the Admiral  
  
Eric pressed several buttons and the screen was activated, showing Fleet Admiral Chiron's fleet.  
  
"We will be entering weapon range in sixty seconds." said Denis, from the tactical position. "Steady as she goes." said the Admiral.  
  
After a long pause, Denis spoke again:  
  
"The first ships of the fleet have begun firing, both fleets are coming to a complete stop." he said. "All stop, Major." said Thorne to Eric. "Aye, sir." replied the Major, "All stop."  
  
Thorne waited several moments before speaking again.  
  
"Major, give us full engine power." he ordered, "Take us to maximum speed. Raise shields Major DeLong and ready aft torpedo launchers." "Aye sir, full engine power." replied Eric. "Aye sir, shields up; torpedoes standing by." replied Denis. "Take us right into the Directorate line." ordered the Admiral. "Aye, sir." replied Eric.  
  
The vessel shook hard as something struck the ship.  
  
"Report." ordered Thorne. "The D.C.S. Reardon and the D.C.S. Wintan are on a pursuit course. Quantum phaser hit taken, shields are holding." "Launch torpedoes." "Aye, sir." replied Denis, "Launching torpedoes."  
  
The Maxwell fired two quantum torpedoes from its aft launcher, the two pursuing vessels sustained direct hits; the Wintan's shields were inoperative when the torpedo hit, disabling their weapons. The Reardon returned phaser fire and hit its mark. The Wintan, conscious of the approaching Directorate fleet, broke pursuit and turned around. The Maxwell fired two more torpedoes at the Reardon, disabling its shields. The D.C.S. Maxwell reached the Directorate line and the Reardon was quickly destroyed by several of Admiral Chiron's ships.  
  
"Open a channel to Fleet Admiral Chiron's ship." ordered Thorne. "Aye, sir." replied Major John Tarsis, "Channel open." "Admiral Chiron." said Thorne. "This is Chiron." replied the voice through the speakers. "This is Fleet Admiral Thorne of the newly renamed U.D.S. Maxwell." "Greetings, Admiral." said Chiron, "Set course to the coordinates I am sending you; several other Council Members are waiting. I will escort you there myself." "Understood." 


End file.
